Magazine

01 May Alphamin starts commissioning Bisie tin mine in DRC

TSX-V-listed Alphamin Resources has begun hot commissioning its Bisie tin mine in the rainforest of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Bisie is considered one of the world’s highest grade tin deposits, with an updated feasibility indicating that the mine could produce 152,300 tonnes of tin over a 12.5-year life.

Alphamin completed construction of the mine in the first quarter of 2019, before completing wet commissioning, whereby the plant runs on water, in April.

Commercial production is expected in the second half of the year, after the hot commissioning, which involves feeding the plant with material and checking process flows, is completed.

The tin concentrate produced at Bisie will be certified as responsibly produced and conflict-free, in contrast to previous mining activity in North Kivu. Between 2002 and 2011 armed militias forced up to 16,000 artisanal miners to toil at Bisie surface deposits.

Alphamin also hopes that the project will serve as a catalyst for economic development in the region.